Cardiff City "Doing The Ayatollah"

Something different today, sure to make Tony smile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbjqBi_VwbA 


The Ayatollah is a football celebration used by fans of Welsh football club Cardiff City.





Performing the action is always preceded by a chant of "do the Ayatollah". Performing the Ayatollah is done by having both hands flat pointing towards each other raised above your head and repeatedly moving them up and down in a patting motion.


The Ayatollah was the focus of two songs written in support of the club prior to them playing in the 2008 FA Cup Final. A group of supporters released a song named "Do The Ayatollah!" and a different song under the same title was written by one of the clubs players, Steve Thompson.


The link shows Cardiff City Fans "Doing The Ayatollah" on YouTube during a game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1MWwce3cTg


In 1989, when Ayatollah Khomeini died, his funeral was shown on British TV and a Cardiff City fan was rather taken with the mourners way of expressing their grief – they slapped their heads with both hands.

At the next Cardiff home game, he encouraged all his mates to copy these mourners and slap their heads whenever Cardiff scored a goal. The trend caught on. 


Last year, the trend caught on even more when the Welsh rugby captain, Gareth Thomas, had a bet with a mate and started celebrating his tries for Wales and the Lions by doing the ayatollah. 


And now, the ayatollah has caught on in a third sport, cricket, as Simon Jones, who is Welsh and plays his cricket in Cardiff, has got the England players doing it too!